staff – Baltimore Magazine

The Lemonade Selfie Museum Brings Fresh Fun to Mt. Vernon

Grace Hebron — Tue, 05 Apr 2022 20:59:36 +0000

On a Friday evening in Mt. Vernon, the upbeat sounds of Otis Redding, Stevie Wonder, and Diana Ross bounce between the walls of 1 East Franklin Street as guests sip glasses of tart lemonade, and novelty pool floats in myriad designs and colors—a popsicle, a diamond ring, a camera, a hot air balloon, and unicorns with multicolored tresses—float above the entrance.

To the right, a lush, green velvet couch waits against a yellow wall, and to the left, a hoisted floor-length mirror sits precisely photo ready. After all, the Lemonade Selfie Museum’s entryway was designed with a purpose. Opened to the public since February, it joins a growing trend of local spaces that were designed to be posted on Instagram, featuring various rooms created for parties, field trips, pop-ups, and, you guessed it—selfies—which can be reserved by the hour on Wednesdays through Sundays.

At a lavishly pink table, we catch up with the museum’s founding owner, Michelle, who is using a pseudonym to protect her privacy, about the inspiration behind the first venue of its kind in Baltimore.

What led you to open a museum?
I went to California and they have some selfie museums that are similar to this one. I remember thinking, “We don’t have anything like that in Baltimore.” I really wanted our museum to have a theme and speak to something more than just taking a picture, so I did a lot of research and went to other museums to make sure that ours was [up to the same standards]. At the Museum of Ice Cream in California, the coolest part about it was the props. We wanted to make sure that we had props that people could actually pick up and utilize. We make sure we have staff to help take pictures. Sometimes guests will stand in our windows and we’ll go outside to take pictures for them. Creativity is really what I want.

How would you describe the Lemonade Selfie Museum’s theme?
The idea was for the Lemonade Selfie Museum to be a museum of affirmations. I had experiences with domestic violence, and putting little sticky notes with affirmations on them in my bathroom, on the window, or my mirror, was always just a way to remind myself that I had everything I needed to move on. I didn’t want to do this for the money. I created this place to be a way to remind myself that I’m always going to have good vibes, I didn’t stop, and I’m still going to be great. And every person who walks in here, they’re going to be great too!

It reminds us of Beyonce’s Lemonade album.
Exactly! She created that album as a self-proclamation, like, “I am Beyonce. Whatever I went through, I made lemons into lemonade.” We wanted to embody the effects that album had and bring them into one space. We have a sign that says, “This Must Be the Place,” meaning any place you are is “the place.” Our mirror in the entryway says “G.O.A.T.,” because we want everybody to feel like they’re the “Greatest of All Time.”

What went into designing every room?
I wanted each room to be its own and everything to be friendly and family oriented. That’s why you see stuff that looks like it’s for kids, but adults can use it too, like the seesaw. We also have a rain installation. Why not have our rain be colorful? And why not have a clear umbrella so we can see how pretty it is? We reached out to different artists in the area; one of them hand-painted our Burberry wall.

How do you decide what music to play?
We always try to make sure our music is PG-13, but we try to mix it up. When people come in with big crowds, we let them choose their own music. The museum is about creativity, and music is a form of art as well.

What’s the most rewarding part of this experience?
Being able to use this platform to reach out to other women. Besides coming in here to feel good, I want them to be able to utilize the space for their own businesses as well. We’ve had people come and ask to use our backdrop for their podcast. We want them to be able to use this space for pop-up [vending.] Why not make it a one-stop shop? A lot of people can’t afford [their own] brick-and-mortar.

What’s next for the museum?
I’m hoping to create an upstairs, too. I definitely see us coming up with multiple locations. I’ve been playing with the idea of music. Maybe recreating old music videos from back in the day, like Missy Elliot’s videos, or recreating the scene of the SZA album cover with the TVs.

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University of Maryland, Baltimore President Jarrell Outlines His Commitment to Maryland

Megan McGaha — Tue, 18 Jan 2022 20:35:15 +0000

In November 2021, the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) community and guests gathered for the inauguration of Bruce E. Jarrell, MD, FACS, as the seventh president of UMB. Dr. Jarrell stepped into this role in 2020 amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, guiding critical efforts to address this global health crisis with world-changing vaccine research, treatments, community service and outreach, and leadership across the state and beyond.

Under Jarrell’s leadership, UMB remains one of Baltimore’s most powerful anchor institutions and continues to effect real and lasting change by improving health, creating wealth, and advancing social justice in the city, the state, and around the world. This is particularly true in today’s COVID-19 climate.

The University of Maryland School of Medicine is at the forefront of vaccine research and development.

Central to President Jarrell’s vision is that UMB expand on its success by motivating students, faculty, and staff to embrace the university’s core values, which are rooted in service, a commitment to Maryland, and ultimately improving the world. UMB inspires passionate people to apply solutions to the pressing problems facing humankind, and its health care, human services, and law professionals create innovative solutions where others see only problems.

“When I look at UMB, I see an environment that encourages innovation and creativity,” Jarrell says. “I’m surrounded by students and employees who are committed to improving the health and well-being of the people in our community and around the state. That is the magic of UMB, and it’s the secret to our great success.”

The University of Maryland School of Pharmacy is dedicated to improving pharmaceutical research, practice, and education in Maryland and beyond.

To maintain UMB’s standing as Maryland’s premier human services institution, these are President Jarrell’s priorities:

Commitment to excellence in education. UMB works to attract, retain, and educate the best and brightest scholars, staff, and faculty through efforts such as the President’s Initiative on Education, scholarship programs that create opportunities for more students, and by remaining an employer of choice.

Commitment to working for equity and justice. UMB accepts the responsibility to help improve the health and well-being of underserved populations in Maryland by expanding access in areas of need across the state, supporting our Community Engagement Center, and fostering educational programs to support opportunity and advancement for disadvantaged communities.

Commitment to statewide collaborations. UMB is maintaining and growing its strong partnership with the University of Maryland Medical System, sustaining and propelling innovation through its collaboration with the University of Maryland, College Park under the MPowering the State initiative, and expanding relationships with other key institutions across Maryland.

Commitment to innovation and discovery. UMB is preparing for the future with a strong focus on innovation and discovery. The university is expanding its $682 million research enterprise, strengthening its community-based research activities, and developing more interdisciplinary research programs and projects.

Through these efforts, UMB achieves its mission to improve the human condition and serve the public good of Maryland and society at large through education, research, clinical care, and service. Amidst unprecedented challenges in today’s world, UMB is evolving and developing critical innovations toward changing the future today.

Students at the University of Maryland School of Dentistry gain hands-on experience in the school’s dental clinics.

UMB is Maryland’s public health, law, and human services university, a leading U.S. institution for graduate and professional education, and a prominent academic health center that combines cutting-edge biomedical research and exceptional clinical care.

The university enrolls more than 7,200 students in six nationally ranked professional schools and its interdisciplinary Graduate School, conferring most of the professional practice doctoral degrees awarded in Maryland each year. Serving as a powerhouse economic engine for Maryland, UMB delivers care and services that spur growth, and, in partnership with the University of Maryland Medical Center and affiliated physician practices, the university stimulates nearly $8 billion in economic activity each year, generating 17,000 jobs and yielding $13 in economic activity for each $1 of state general fund appropriation.

https://youtu.be/DGSHErpLNRA

UMB provides direct health, employment, legal, educational, and social services to underserved communities and impacts the future by addressing the needs of the most vulnerable populations and fostering the next generation of leaders in innovation, discovery, outreach, and economic impact.

To learn more about UMB, visit www.umaryland.edu.

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